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linuxmemes @lemmy.world

maduncle @lemmy.world

1d ago

"When does <insert package name> get update ?" moment.

55 comments

Ah the Linux help desk where you get helpful directions like "You have a problem with your dual monitor setup in your naively installed Ubuntu setup? Have you considered installing a rust micro kernel from an abandoned GitHub repo? After cherry picking some patches from a mailinglist? Also boon plep Ubuntu looser."
- I hate modern AI, but that is what we need it for. Maintaining old code bases, and not turning it into a text editor/AI API (unless that was the original intention).
  Edit: I have to add more words. Maintaining code bases includes compling and testing the code on a variety of hardware. Running tests against that code. Responding to questions. It is a massive amount of work.
  
  Yeah Support is horrible work, I don't maintain anything, but I ask stupid questions, which I don't know are stupid until I get the answer and than die of shame.
  I don't know if AI can fix that and most maintainers I had to ask for help were really helpful and friendly, but maintainance like keeping software compatible with used libraries, helping users and such is invisible work.

Hey, get your Gentoo propaganda out of here.
- Nix

Dependencies:
Old ass library version from 2004
apt/dnf/pacman: package not found
library package was last available 15 years ago before it was dropped to move to the next legacy version
App package was available right up until last year until it was dropped for development inactivity
Absolutely no one has a compiled version of old ass library
Attempting to compile old ass library results in 30 other old ass package dependencies
How in the actual world was the maintainer compiling this up to last year
- It worked on their machine
  
  They have old/orphaned dependencies on their machine. It's hanging on a by thread. They have no idea the packages have disappeared years ago. The house of cards is a bit flip away from collapsing.
  
  Hahah I say this all the time.
- Why docker was created be like

Why even use releases? Everyone can build everything for themselves. 'Normal Users' are just lazy, everyone wants to know how every piece of software is built for their system, it's not like they have other stuff to do.
- I thought that was what Gentoo was doing, but they have far more binary packages nowadays than I thought they'd ever get.
  
  llvm, clang are packages I give 0 fucks about, but take a significant part of my updates. I never really got around to it, but I will try to make them binary downloads instead of building that shit. Like I understand gcc, but have 0 interest in llvm, and can't have firefox without it.. smh
  
  Which you still need to specifically specify. By default everything still has to be compiled.

I don't care for this mentality. I understand constant questions must get old for developers/contributors but the mentality that people should compile from the source is not conducive to growing FOSS. It is, however, potentially conducive to laziness from the devs. "Eh, why should I spend time releasing compiled builds? Let the plebs compile themselves."
- Devs don't usually package for specific distros unless it's a generic format like Appimage that can just be downloaded. Distro maintainers need to get it into the format their package manager uses and update the list to make it available.
  
  Yes, and that's fine: they can compile in their preferred format and if people want a different one, then the "package it yourself" argument makes sense.
- How much do you donate to FOSS?

Guys I downloaded the github link, and it won't launch as an app, what do? :(
/j
- You could add '.exe' at the end. It will definitely not work, but you can still do it for a laugh anyways ;)
  
  Wine: wtf is this shit?
- Are you a vibe coder?
  
  I have standards unfortunately
- Have you tried downloading the AUR? Oh, it's not available in the AUR? What about the flat pack? The package name changed, but it's not available there either. It's an app image, but to get it to work you're going to need to switch your Nvidia drivers to DKMS. OK... So that didn't work, have you tried reinstalling dracut and ffmpeg?
  
  My favourite of course is "just dual boot"
  The solution to every issue x3
  
  Now you're just being silly. Everyone knows that Linux is better than Winblow$$$ because all your programs are available from your app store, and can be installed with a few clicks. You never have to go hunting for random downloads again! 🙄
- you gotta click on the blue e on your desktop
  
  You guys have stuff on your desktop?
- "STUPID FUCKING SMELLY NERDS"

Package version 0.01: Built with libraries abc version 2, def version 0.1 and ghi version 7.2.2
Your system has requirements: abc version 2, def version 0.2 and ghi version 8.0.0
Package version 0.02: Requires abc version 3, def version 0.2 and ghi version 8.0.1
You realise that those differences in version would mean that you would have to basically recompile (then debug and recompile) your entire operating system with the three upgraded packages, and deal with a full cascade of dependencies, not just the package you really want to compile, OR basically sit down and rewrite Package 0.02 from the ground up using older libraries than it was originally written for.
You decide to make do with the old version of the package.
- Can you not build it in a venv to not mess with your system packages?

yay
<package name>
There is a 99% chance it's in there, and there is an 80% chance it uses the latest version/git HEAD
- Yay?
  
  yay, a utility to access the AUR, where users share build scripts instead of binaries. It's just one step above curl | sudo sh in terms of security.

Unless it's a JavaScript app which uses some random build system (that was popular when they started work on the app but is now outdated) that you need to set up and learn.
Or it's a Python app that doesn't work because you don't have the right version of python and backwards compatibility is a myth.

Casual Linux things that get normal people running from the os in fear.

"Tomorrow"

Nobody likes to figure out dependencies. And C++ template errors are sometimes completely crazy.

And halfway through the compile, it fails.

There's so much wrong with this question.
things people 'must' have are usually worthless junk like 'dark mode'.
updates people want in mainstream can sometimes break compatibility with no "just make it work" switch to disable the breakage. When this isn't a red flag, that makes me sad and worried for the idiot in front of me.
and then I'm no longer tolerant of the indolent writing error in the sentence.
Really, it's a combination of all three of those things, and more, that prevent the incrementing of the one number in the git project that would invoke the package run and drop a new package in about 2 minutes. It's so hard.

55 comments